which to begin the Tour of the Oisans. But the way up those slabs above the Sarenne cascade makes for a tough initiation.
An enchanting region of little meadows, streams and pools lies below the Cirque d’Arsine
When the slabs peter out, meadows and patches of woodland lead to tiny hamlets that gather the sunlight. Linked by tree-shaded paths and stretches of tarmac, practically every step from one to the other is upward. Until, that is, you come to the huddled buildings of La Rosay, 830 muscle-stretching metres above Bourg. Here you leave tarmac, inch past renovated stone houses and a small chapel, cross a meadow with grasshoppers exploding around your boots, then descend into the gorge to find the stone-built Pont Romain spanning the Sarenne – a narrow stream which pounds and pummels water-smoothed rocks among deciduous trees that turn yellow and gold at the tail-end of summer.
On a summer’s day the walk through the wooded gorge makes a welcome interlude, but then you emerge to another road easing through a shadeless scoop of a valley up to the 1999m Col de Sarenne, with a smart, privately owned refuge snug in the pastures nearby.
Over the col you leave the road to plunge steeply down into the Vallée du Ferrand, from which the Roche de la Muzelle can be seen far off. The penultimate col of the trek passes just below this peak, but that will be several days and a lot of puff away. For now the route passes through Clavans-le-Haut and its much smaller neighbour, Clavans-le-Bas (no accommodation at the first, but two options at the second), before making an abrupt climb to the one-time customs post of Besse-en-Oisans. With its well-preserved traditional stone and timber houses, Besse is a charming village and an opportunity to restock with supplies. It also has a hotel, a gîte, and a basic campsite 1km further on up the road.
Out of Besse the way passes the campsite and takes a footpath angling up a steep hillside to gain the grassy crest of Col Nazié at 1902m. It’s not much of a col, just a dip in a ridge from which the way continues upward for another 300 vertical metres to reach Col Bichet overlooking a vast open pastureland. Way ahead, above and beyond the hidden Vallée de la Romanche, La Meije and Le Râteau rise above their glaciers – it’s an exciting view.
The Tour of the Oisans crosses the pastureland known as the Plateau d’Emparis with La Meije appearing seductive all the way, while a short diversion from the trail leads to the Lacs Noir and Lérié, which make a perfect foreground to the big peaks and glaciers.
From the far side of the plateau the trail dips steeply into a groove scoured by the Torrent du Gâ, climbs through the village of Le Chazelet (two gîtes and a hotel), then swoops down yet another knee-aching hillside to La Grave on the true right bank of the Romanche at 1474m. La Meije soars a giddy 2500m above the village.
La Grave to Vallouise
Out of La Grave a very pleasant and fairly easy trek leads to a refuge set upon a shelf of grassland above the infant Romanche, amid an arc of big mountains. Should you have time, Refuge de l’Alpe de Villar d’Arêne (2077m) is a near-perfect location to relax for a day or two, for there’s some spectacular country to explore nearby. But even without time off from the trek, a night at the refuge is recommended. When you finally leave, it will only take an hour to reach the 2340m Col d’Arsine, a trough-like saddle below a massive rib of black moraine, overshadowed by stark rock peaks and loud with the call of marmots, and this leads to a wonderland of streams and pools gathered in the most enchanting of meadows and natural rock gardens below the Cirque d’Arsine. It’s almost impossible to resist the temptation to throw off the rucksack and either lie in the grass or perch upon a rock to dream for an hour. Or two.
It’s a long descent from Col d’Arsine to Le Casset in the valley of the Guisane. Or at least it seems long, for there are so many idyllic places on the way that threaten to delay progress. Streams disappear and reappear 200m lower down the valley. Waterfalls spray in long ribbons; there’s a tiny lake, milky blue with the run-off of a fast-shrinking glacier. Mountains loom on either side; there are delicate flowers, wild raspberries and bilberries to pick in season; then fragrant larchwoods whose paths are carpeted with needles. At last Le Casset appears; a village of thick-walled houses, a gîte and a bar/restaurant where you can slake your thirst at a marble-topped table, and downvalley, less than an hour’s walk away, lies Monêtier-les-Bains, the largest habitation since leaving Bourg d’Oisans. As well as hotels and a gîte, Monêtier also has restaurants, a supermarket and a bank with a cash machine.
Sadly, the pass that takes the Tour of the Oisans out of the valley of the Guisane and on to Vallouise has been partially desecrated by cableways and bulldozed pistes, for here on the outer edge of the national park the Serre-Chevalier ski circus leaves its indelible mark long after the snow has melted. However, the trail begins innocently enough, rising through woodland behind Monêtier, and up into a green hanging valley before arriving at the first pylon. But an hour’s grimly determined march through this sorry mess takes you over the 2425m Col de l’Eychauda and into the comparative serenity of the Vallon de Chambran.
Twisting back and forth, the trail makes a long and winding descent of a very steep slope to arrive in the upper reaches of the valley, where a buvette serving welcome refreshments is reached soon after. Beyond the summer-only hamlet of Chambran the way dodges down narrow trails, on and off a feeder road, then along tree- and shrub-crowded paths with a view of Mont Pelvoux, to a clutch of small villages that direct you into Vallouise. This small market town at the confluence of the Gyr and l’Onde boasts two gîtes, hotels, a campsite, a few bars and restaurants, a shop or two and another opportunity to tease cash from a hole in the wall, should you be running low on funds.
Vallouise to Valgaudemar
Vallouise marks a turning point on the Tour of the Oisans, for now the more-or-less circular trek explores the south and western sides of the massif. From now on the way has a greater sense of remoteness; the passes are higher, steeper, more challenging and more rewarding.
A morning’s walk leads to the roadhead in the Vallée d’Entraigues (also know as Vallée de l’Onde). Some trekkers choose to take a taxi along this road to shorten the unrelenting hike over two high passes on the way to the Refuge du Pré de la Chaumette, but I prefer to take the riverside path and continue to the head of the valley, where the old, traditional Refuge des Bans is perched in a wild cirque of mountains crowned by the 3669m mountain after which it is named.
Having spent a night among the high peaks, it’s essential to rise early and descend back to Entre-les-Aygues. Cross the river on a long footbridge, then head off up the narrow Vallon de la Selle on a trail that eventually slants up and across long fans of black scree (dodgy in bad weather or when masked by snow) to gain Col de l’Aup Martin. At 2761m, this is the highest pass on GR54, but instead of descending on the far side, you then traverse more slopes of rock and scree to the 2735m Pas de la Cavale. Only then can you begin the remorseless zigzag descent into the Vallée de Champoléon, where the Pré de la Chaumette refuge offers welcome food and shelter after a long and tiring day’s hike.
That two-pass crossing makes for a brutal stage, but one of the toughest stages of the trek follows, with no fewer than three high passes on the itinerary: Col de la Vallette, Col de Gouiran and Col de Vallonpierre. Linked by eroded ribs and fins of unstable shale and grit, the first and last of these cols contain some extremely steep and exposed sections, and are not for the faint-hearted. A slip could have serious consequences, so pray for settled conditions and remain alert at all times.
A vertiginous descent from Col de Vallonpierre takes you to a refuge set beside a small tarn, then loses another 1100m of
